From Initial Interest To Concrete Action In B2B Marketing

As a digital marketer, my goal is to capture and convert new contacts on social platforms, guiding them toward specific actions. In B2B, decision-making processes are increasingly lengthy and involve multiple stakeholders. It’s essential to continually assess how we can transition individuals from initial curiosity to definitive action.

Interest >> Concrete Action

Consider Caroline, a CMO, who downloads a 40+ page report. How can we keep her engaged, encourage her to read more content, book a meeting, or even attend an in-person event?

Understanding the neuroscience behind motivation and the role of dopamine is key. Dr. Carmen Simon, a Stanford Professor and Chief Science Officer at Corporate Visions, discusses the concept of ‘intermittent schedules of rewards’ in a podcast. This strategy involves varying the intensity and frequency of engagement to maintain audience interest.

For example, after Caroline accesses the report, we can follow up with smaller, less frequent interactions via email and SDRs, mixed with periods of minimal contact. This unpredictability in rewards keeps her engaged by preventing her from predicting the next reward.

“The longer the brain cannot predict the next reward, the longer it stays with the action.” (source)

I’m also curious about how this impacts our daily productivity, but perhaps we can explore that later.

It’s crucial to understand Caroline’s intrinsic motivation for downloading the report. This is no easy task. As a marketer, you must constantly study your target audience. That’s why it’s important to learn from other departments and colleagues.